


the light can’t follow the speed of your love

by hoeunki



Series: plum blossom and the orchid [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, Ficlet Collection, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Romance, renjun is an art major, student council president!lucas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 13:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15950393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeunki/pseuds/hoeunki
Summary: to the rest of the student body, the loud-mouthed student president and the quiet art kid seem like the most unlikely couple to exist. but lucas has only ever had eyes for one boy, and renjun is more affectionate than people think.six luren moments through the eyes of their friends, and one from the eyes of a fool in love.





	the light can’t follow the speed of your love

**Author's Note:**

> the title is so cute but plot twist it's actually from drippin'
> 
> this fic is 100% self indulgent and i have no shame

“He’s doing it again,” Sanha whispered, nudging Donghyuck with his elbow. Donghyuck swiveled around in his chair to see their lovely student council president staring out the window with a dreamy smile on his face, chin propped up on his palm.

Donghyuck saw how unfocused Lucas’ eyes were and snickered. He glanced around the room, only feeling slightly bad for the finance director kid who was explaining something about their budget for the upcoming school event. It was obvious that Lucas wasn’t listening.

Donghyuck giggled. “He’s probably daydreaming about his boyfriend again.” It wasn’t uncommon; in fact, Donghyuck had caught him spacing out during multiple student council meetings. It wasn’t the boy’s fault, really. He was just bad at hiding his emotions.

Sanha tilted his head. “His boyfriend?”

Donghyuck opened up a packet of chips and popped one in his mouth, receiving a glare from the treasurer girl. He offered the chips to Sanha, who gratefully took one. “Yeah. You know, Renjun?”

Sanha began to choke, and Donghyuck thumped him on the back. “R-Renjun? Like that quiet and kinda intimidating kid in my Art History module?” he asked, eyes wide with surprise.

Donghyuck nodded. “That’s the very one.”

Sanha became silent afterwards, contemplating this newfound information whilst occasionally reaching for a chip. A typical reaction, in Donghyuck’s opinion. Most people had no idea that their goofy student council president was dating anyone, much less a boy who was basically the exact opposite of him. Lucas was loud and energetic, Renjun was introverted and hardly spoke during class. When Lucas was out playing some sort of sport, Renjun was probably cooped up in one of the art studios or in his dorm. Lucas was soft, whereas Renjun was known to have a snarky side. Anyone would think that the two were totally incompatible; Donghyuck had also made this assumption when Lucas and Renjun started dating.

But as they say, opposites attract. Throughout the progression of their relationship, Donghyuck had come to realise that they balanced each other well. Renjun was patient when Lucas was being stubborn and in turn, Lucas helped Renjun to develop his confidence. They were an odd couple, but they worked. Donghyuck could still clearly remember when Lucas began taking an interest in Renjun, stopping by their lunch table in high school to say hi or following him around the hallways and offering to carry his books for him. He was like a lost puppy.

Then came college, and Lucas waited a while before asking Renjun out. Donghyuck was still fuzzy on the details (Renjun refused to tell him), but he heard from Chenle that it was very cute.

Donghyuck flung a paperclip at Lucas, hitting him between his eyebrows. Lucas quickly shook his head and sat up in his seat. _Stop fantasizing about Renjun_ , Donghyuck mouthed, and received a childish pout in response.

“I know that you love our dear Injun,” he said, as soon as the meeting was adjourned and all the other council members had left. “But you should really pay attention when we’re discussing important matters, Mr. President.”

Lucas shrugged, packing his stuff away and slinging his bag onto his shoulder. It thumped softly against his back as he skipped out of the room. “Renjun and I have a hotpot date tonight. Seeya, Hyuck!”

_Ah, young love._

Donghyuck looked around the room and sighed. That cheeky brat had left him to clean up the council room again.

 

* * *

 

Jeno ran across the court, soles slapping against the concrete. He dribbled with ease, avoiding the opposing team with agile steps. He heard a voice call out to him and saw Lucas signalling for a pass. Jeno faked a pass to one of their other players and tossed it to Lucas, who caught it and scored a clean shot.

The crowd erupted in cheers and it wasn’t long before the buzzer sounded, signalling their win. Lucas ran to Jeno and high-fived him. “Nice game, dude!”

Jeno laughed, reaching up to ruffle his hair. “You played well, Lucas.”

Their coach gave them a little congratulatory speech before sending them off. Lucas loitered for a bit, talking to some other people like the social butterfly he was, and Jeno walked over to the bench to grab his water bottle. Thirsty, he opened it and chugged down large gulps of water, not caring that his front was getting drenched.

“Jeno!” A small voice called, and Jeno scanned around to see Renjun waving at him from atop one of the bleachers. Jeno smiled and gestured for his best friend to come over and as he approached, Jeno noticed that he was holding a sighboard that said ‘XUXI,FIGHTING HAEYADWAE’ in large, glittery letters, surrounded by a bunch of tiny hearts.

Jeno laughed. “Is that for Lucas?”

Renjun nodded, beaming with pride. “I made it yesterday. Do you think he'll like it?”

“You could write ‘you're hot shit’ on a picture of a flaming poop _and_ misspell his name and he'd still cry tears of joy.”

He barely escaped the punch that Renjun threw at him. Jeno's handsome face was luckily saved from irreparable damage at that moment as Lucas bounded up to them.

“Junnie!” He greeted, pulling Renjun in for a hug. Lucas spotted the sign that he was holding and released him.

“Is that for me?” he asked, pointing at it.

Renjun handed it over, tucking a hair behind his ear shyly. “Yeah…”

Lucas studied it for a moment, smiling brightly as he read it over and over again. He then suddenly handed it to Jeno.

“Wha--"

Lucas swept Renjun into a big hug and twirled him. Renjun shrieked, repeatedly hitting Lucas' chest. Jeno watched with amusement as Lucas put Renjun down and Renjun scolded him for hugging him while he was dripping with sweat.

They were an interesting pair, in Jeno’s eyes. Always bickering, teasing each other to no end. Jeno had known Renjun for a long time, and sometimes it was weird to see him with Lucas. To see a softer, more vulnerable side of his best friend.

But Jeno hadn’t always liked Lucas. His first of impression of the foreign boy was a talkative, overly-confident flirt. Jeno thought that he was just like all the other boys who crushed on Renjun, just marginally more persistent. But then Renjun started returning his affections little by little. Jeno saw how Renjun’s stares would linger, noticed how Lucas’ name came up in conversation more often than he liked.

“Jealousy is a disease,” Donghyuck had told him, and Jeno was shocked to realise that he was right. He was being a possessive best friend, envious that he wasn’t the most important person in Renjun’s life anymore.

But he could see it now, the way they looked at each other like they were the only ones that mattered in the entire world. It was clear to Jeno that Lucas was a good guy for Renjun. He walked up to the couple and smacked Lucas hard on the back.

“What was that for?” he asked curiously.

Jeno smiled his famous crescent moon eye smile. “I’m giving you the Lee Jeno stamp of approval.”

 

* * *

 

The early morning sunlight diffused through the slit in the curtains, reflecting off Chenle’s phone and into his eyes. He hissed and rolled over, cracking a sleepy eye open. He lugged his feet towards the window and threw the drapes open, soaking in the warm rays and letting them wash over his skin.

A giggle from outside his door interrupted his moment.

Frowning, Chenle shuffled to the door and pushed it open, peering into the hallway. Nothing. Jisung usually woke up later than him and Jaemin was probably at the gym at this time, which meant that it was Lucas making the noise.

“Stop!” someone laughed, someone who clearly wasn’t Lucas. But they had spoken in Chinese, which meant that it could only be one other person.

Chenle went to the kitchen to find Lucas with his arms around Renjun in a back hug, trying to flip a pancake. His massive hands covered Renjun’s ones completely. Renjun, who was wearing a rainbow polka-dotted apron, kept cracking up as the taller boy continued to fail.

“Here, I’ll do it,” Renjun said, taking command of the pan. With a skilled flick of the wrist, he turned the pancake over in one go. Lucas cheered, resting his chin on Renjun’s shoulder. The two of them still hadn’t noticed Chenle, who continued to lurk in the doorway.

He watched as Renjun switched the heat off and turned around in Lucas’ arms. They murmured softly to each other before Renjun took Lucas’ face in his hands and kissed him tenderly. Chenle stared, not used to seeing Renjun so affectionate. Lucas wound his arms around Renjun’s waist and held him closer, pressing his body against the counter as they continued to kiss.

At the sight of Renjun’s tongue, Chenle lost it.

“CAN YOU GUYS NOT MAKE OUT IN THE KITCHEN?!” he screeched.

They jumped apart. Renjun, who was against the stove, placed his hand on the warm pan and yelped. Lucas immediately grabbed him and thrust his hand into a running stream of tap water. Renjun glared at Chenle, chucking the nearest thing he could get his hands on, which happened to be a cucumber. It collided with Chenle’s cheek and bounced onto the floor.

“First you go shoving your tongue down my flatmate’s throat and then you waste perfectly good vegetables? Tsk tsk, Renjun-ge,” he chided.

Lucas laughed, holding back his boyfriend before he could pounce on Chenle and stab him with a fork. A quick peck on the cheek had Renjun relaxing in Lucas’ hold, but it did nothing to ease the animosity with which Renjun was glaring daggers at Chenle.

Chenle strode over to their dining table, a tiny thing that was pushed up against the window and only had two mismatched chairs to accompany it. Two bento boxes were open, one black and one red. Inside were egg rolls and some cut up apples.

“Are you guys making lunch boxes together?” he asked, not sure whether he wanted to gag or cry over how cute they were.

Renjun folded his arms. “Yeah. We are.”

Chenle eyed the way Lucas held Renjun next to him, his fingers curled around the shorter boy’s hipbone. They were so lowkey in public yet so domestic in the dorms. It was a contrast that Chenle always had difficulty wrapping his head around.

Lucas cocked his head to one side. “Do you want me to make you one too, Lele?”

Chenle grinned. “Thanks! If Renjun-ge doesn't mind, of course.” He batted his eyelashes innocently at Renjun, who inhaled deeply, fist clenching around his apron fabric.

“Sure, _Lele,_ ” he responded through gritted teeth.

And if Chenle perhaps had one ounce of self-preservation, he would've been mildly concerned for his safety. But he hadn't eaten any of Renjun's cooking in a while, and eating homemade food made by Renjun was a once in a year opportunity that Chenle wasn't about to pass up. Renjun had inherited his skills from one of the alumni of the Chinese Society at their college and was now something of his chef apprentice.

Chenle made a mental note to share his lunch with Jisung and skipped happily off to take a shower, leaving the couple to cook his lunch or make out more or whatever.

 

* * *

 

Jisung slid along the floor, sneakers squeaking like a pair of mice. He hummed a little tune as he made his way to the toilet.

_“The club can't even handle me right now~”_

He passed by a row of lockers and saw two figures talking to each other, and Jisung had to squint to realise that it was Renjun and Lucas. Pausing in his step, he scuttled back and hid himself behind a nearby pillar to observe them.

“Ooh,” he whispered to no-one. “Mr. Student Council President ditching class with his boyfriend~” He pulled out his phone and sent a quick snap to Chenle for future blackmail purposes.

On any other day, Jisung would’ve stopped there and gone on his merry way to do his business, but he wasn’t really enjoying his Stats course and didn’t have plans of returning soon, so he figured that loitering around for a few minutes wouldn’t do any harm. Maybe Donghyuck’s busybody habits were rubbing off on him.

They were thankfully speaking at a volume loud enough for Jisung to eavesdrop properly.

“–study at my dorm later?”

“Don’t you have a Council meeting?”

“Oh right, it’s Thursday. Damn. Maybe I should cancel it,” Lucas said, smiling cheekily and leaning forward to rest his arm on the lockers behind Renjun.

“ _Xuxi_ ,” Renjun sternly raised an eyebrow.  

“I’m kidding!”

Renjun glanced to the left and Jisung quickly ducked out of sight, flattening his body against the pillar. If he ran now, Renjun would see him and scalp him alive and he couldn’t have that. He still had to film a dance collaboration with Lee Taeyong to put on his YouTube channel.

Silence filled the hallway. Jisung nervously drummed his fingers against the wall.

When nothing else happened, Jisung decided to take a peek to check if they were still there. They had stopped talking, it seemed. Lucas was doing something strange instead, nosing at Renjun’s neck while the other boy silently played with his hair.

“What the hell…” Jisung mumbled, suddenly overcome with an urge to point and say ‘is this allowed?’ really loudly. Couple rituals were really weird.

“We should get back to class,” Renjun suggested, and Jisung was struck with horror at the realisation that one, he still had to piss and two, they might come this way and catch him being a nosy little brat.

Lucas shook his head. “Don’t wanna.” His voice was muffled, face still buried in Renjun’s neck. Renjun pried him off gently and began to unravel his tie. Jisung stood silently as Renjun began to tie it again, deft fingers making a loop and pulling the other end through. Lucas waited with a pout on his handsome features.  

One would think that Renjun was the head of the student body and not Lucas, what with the childish energy he exuded as opposed to Renjun’s maturity. But Jisung couldn’t think of anyone better to suit the role (perhaps Mark, if he didn’t have so many clubs). Lucas was outgoing, funny, smart, charismatic, among other things. Renjun wasn’t the type to give speeches in front of everyone, anyway. Nonetheless, they were an intriguing duo. Polar opposites, almost.

Jisung respected Renjun for his ability to shut Lucas up with one look, and was always entertained at the way he had the tall boy wrapped around his finger. It really saved him in the dorms—Renjun never forgot to remind Lucas to take care of the younger boys and help them with their laundry.

Jisung was so busy thinking to himself that he almost missed the goodbye they exchanged. Renjun patted Lucas’ chest with a satisfied smile and tiptoed to give him a kiss on the cheek.

He took this as an opening to move from his hiding spot, walking as nonchalantly as possible with his hands stuck in his pocket. “Oh hey,” Jisung greeted, hoping that he sounded as casual as he thought he did.

Lucas waved. “Hi Jisungie!”

Renjun stared at him suspiciously and Jisung forced himself not to gulp.  “I’m gonna get going,” he told Lucas, and walked off in the other direction.

Jisung quickened his pace, relief flooding him with each step. He was in the clear.

And then Lucas yelled, “You better delete that picture or I’m telling Chenle about that time you got drunk and nearly had to go to the emergency room because you got a gummy bear stuck up your nostril!”

 

* * *

 

 _Click_.

The lock opened with a resounding clack, and Mark pushed the door open carefully. The squeak of the hinges echoed in his ears.

It was dark inside. Muted voices from a random drama served as background noise to Jeno's snoring. Mark slipped his shoes off and padded over to the sofa where Jeno was curled up, hugging a pillow to his chest while his legs dangled off the side.

In his peripheral vision, he saw Lucas moving slowly to the right hallway where his and Renjun's rooms were located.

Mark fumbled around for the remote and, after locating it under Jeno’s arm, switched the television off. They didn't need higher electrical bills.

He dumped his bag on a chair and headed towards his room, only to find Lucas leaning on Renjun’s open door and staring at something with a smile on his face.

“What are you doi--"

“Shhh,” Lucas pressed a finger to his lips. “Look at him.”

Mark squinted to see Renjun sleeping peacefully at his desk. Books were stacked up next to his head, colorful post-its sticking haphazardly from between the pages that flapped with the wind from his fan. Pens and highlighters were strewn messily around the table. Renjun's head was resting on folded arms and his mouth was slightly open.

“He works too hard,” Mark commented. If Renjun wasn't working on some art project in the middle of their apartment, he was studying. Mark worried about him a lot but whenever he voiced his concerns to Renjun, the younger boy would shrug him off and tell him that he could handle it.

Lucas sighed. “He's so cute.” He brushed past Mark and walked over to Renjun’s side.

Bending down, Lucas shook Renjun’s lithe frame lightly. “Renjun,” he whispered. When he didn’t budge, Lucas tried again.

“Injunnie. _Baobei._ ”

Renjun stirred, yawning as he stretched his skinny arms over his head. “Hm?” he mumbled sleepily. He rubbed at his eyes and Mark tried not to snicker at the piece of paper stuck on his cheek. Lucas plucked off the paper and scooped Renjun up off his chair with ease, holding him as if he were carrying a sack of rice. Mark smiled as he watched Renjun snuggle into Lucas’ broad chest.

“I told you not to call me baobei,” Renjun murmured. “I’m gonna...destroy you…”

Lucas ruffled his hair lovingly. “I know.”

Renjun used to confide in Mark about his problems. They had spent many nights in Mark’s room, clutching Moomin plushies as they talked about things. Their similarities had made it easier for them to open up to each other, and truthfully, Mark was honored that Renjun trusted him with his secrets. Mark remembered when Renjun would come to him with worries about entering a relationship with Lucas, confessing his doubts and fears about the two of them together. Back then, Mark had put a hand on his and told him to not be afraid.

Looking back, he’s definitely glad he did.

It was times like these that Mark was grateful to have Lucas around, someone else to take care of Renjun. Renjun was a strong kid, but he had a lot of burdens to bear and insecurities to deal with. Lucas, on the other hand, was a boy with a heart of gold and a lot of love to give. Mark watched as Lucas placed Renjun on the bed before tucking him into his blanket.

“Goodnight,” Lucas whispered, kissing Renjun’s forehead.

He drew back into the hallway and yawned. “Guess I’ll be going back to my dorm.”

“You know, I could’ve put Renjun to bed. You don’t need to walk all the way to our place,” Mark said, leading him back to the main door.

Lucas shrugged. “It’s cool. I know he has an assignment due soon so I figured he’d be up late again. Besides, he hardly ever lets me carry him like that.” He winked at that last comment.

Mark waved goodnight to Lucas, eyes following him until he entered the elevator.

He shut the door and retreated into his dimly lit room, where a body was already nestled into a bundle of pillows and blankets. Mark climbed into bed, throwing an arm over the sleeping silhouette and drawing it close.

“Long day?” Donghyuck spoke softly, sleep lacing his voice.

Mark hummed yes and closed his eyes, allowing the melody of the crickets and the comforting warmth of Donghyuck to lull him into a deep slumber.

 

* * *

 

“Jisung really needs to learn how to operate the washing machine by himself. Chenle called me in the middle of my lecture yesterday because they somehow flooded the kitchen.”

Jaemin lay on the ground, blades of grass tickling his bare toes. It was a warm afternoon and the sky was a beautiful bright shade of blue. Renjun sat on his left, calmly doodling in his beloved sketchbook. They sat contentedly in the light summer breeze, as two college students would, enjoying each other's company.

“So what happened after that?” Renjun questioned.

“Oh, I texted Lucas to go take care of it. He's a reliable dude.”

It was true. He was the only one Jaemin could count on to help him do chores. Thank the heavens for his muscles.

Renjun got quiet after that. He would normally interject with a question or two, but his lips were sealed. Jaemin smirked, having an inkling of what he was thinking about.

“He’s pretty husband material, don't you think?”

Jaemin guffawed at the red blush that blossomed on the artist’s cheeks. Renjun sputtered and hastily looked away, finding a sudden interest in a dandelion. Jaemin chuckled. A flustered Renjun was always entertaining.

“I mean… he's not bad…”

The pinkette snorted. “You've been dating for almost two and a half years, and he's ‘not bad’? You're really something else, Huang Renjun.”

Renjun flicked dirt at Jaemin. “Shut up or I'll shave your eyebrows off.”

Jaemin grabbed his eyebrows with a horrified gasp. “Not my children! You wouldn't dare!”

Renjun raised a sassy eyebrow. “Try me.”

Jaemin sat up and crossed his arms. “If you do, then I'll…I'll...never stop trying to kiss you!”

He lunged at Renjun, tackling the boy to the grass. Renjun screeched as Jaemin aimed a kiss at his neck, stretching as far away as possible. They wrestled on the (thankfully dry) grass, rolling back and forth before Renjun dug his claws into Jaemin's bicep and a searing pain shot through his arm.

“Ow!” he yelped, releasing his hold. Renjun scrambled off him but Jaemin was fast, up on his feet in a matter of seconds.

Jaemin spread his arms wide. “Stop denying our love!” he shouted, causing a few heads to turn.

Renjun turned and ran for his life. Jaemin chased after, laughing as the wind brushed through his hair. They got about three quarters across the campus green before Jaemin saw a frisbee flying straight at Renjun.

“Look out!” he yelled, and Renjun stopped to glance back, still unaware of the frisbee that was approaching rapidly.

Jaemin closed his eyes and braced for the impact. He heard a yell, the sound of plastic against bone, followed by a cry of pain.

_Thunk!_

Jaemin opened his eyes to see Renjun on his butt, wincing but otherwise unharmed. Lucas stood beside him, cradling his own wrist with a trembling lip.

“What happened?” he asked, jogging over.

Renjun pointed at Lucas. “This idiot was trying to pull some kdrama stunt but he failed miserably and the frisbee hit his bone.”

Lucas pouted. “It hurts.”

Renjun dusted himself off and stood up to examine Lucas’ wrist. Jaemin could see some swelling already.

“Why were you even running from Jaemin anyway?” Lucas asked.

Jaemin scratched the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. “I was trying to give him a kiss, that's all.”

Lucas laughed, pulling Renjun closer to him with his free arm. “Only _I_ get to kiss Renjun, I'm afraid.” He caught Renjun off guard with an unexpected kiss on the lips and Renjun squeaked in surprise. “Boyfriend privileges.”

Jaemin rolled his eyes. “Just go to the nurse.”

He watched as the two of them walked away together, chatting happily with interlocked arms. Renjun was such a tsundere sometimes, especially when it came to Lucas. He acted like he hated public displays of affection but Jaemin was well aware that he would snap the ankles of anyone who tried to hurt Lucas intentionally.

Sighing to himself, Jaemin made his way back to their unattended belongings, slightly bitter at not having succeeded at getting a kiss. He was going to have to go cuddle Jeno instead.

 

* * *

 

bonus:

There were many ways that one could imagine spending a Saturday morning. Commuting in a crowded bus to a part-time job, cooking a nice breakfast, cuddling with your significant other, to name a few. Lucas certainly didn’t think he’d be spending this one seated on the shag rug of his bedroom while his boyfriend painted his nails.

Renjun, who had slept over, was facing Lucas as he sat between his legs and worked on his left hand. Renjun’s bare legs were draped over his thighs, and Lucas was trying to resist the urge to run his hands up and down them. To top it all off (as if Renjun in shorts wasn’t enough for Lucas’ weak heart), the boy was wearing one of Lucas’ hoodies that dwarfed his small build, grey sleeves bunched up at his elbows. Lucas absolutely adored the way it made Renjun look like he was melting.

The feeling of nail polish was oddly cold, a strange sensation that he had never felt before. Renjun dipped the tiny brush into the blue varnish and leaned forward, focusing as he moved it in slow strokes over his index finger. Lucas’ other hand was already done and currently placed in front of a tiny fan that filled the room with its endless whirring.

Renjun looked up. “You sure you don’t want me to change the color?”

“Nope,” Lucas answered, shaking his head. They had sorted through Renjun and Donghyuck’s entire collection of nail polish before settling on a color that they both liked and even after that, Renjun kept double-checking.

“Okay,” Renjun said softly, blowing on his nail before progressing onto the next one.

Since his other hand had mostly dried already, Lucas used it to take a picture of Renjun painting to their group chat.

 

_the gay nation (8)_

**yucky:** [sent a picture attachment]

 **yucky:** isnt he precious!!! <333

 **chenline dion:** OMG I THOUGHT HE WAS WEARING BOXERS FOR A SEC

 **pwark:** ^^

 **baNANA head:** they’re obviously shorts guys don’t be mean :(

 **baNANA head:** but he’s wearing your hoodie ugh the uwu jumped out

 **jenotfunny:** is he...painting ur nails????

 **mj4eva:** YES HOE I KNEW THAT WAS A GOOD COLOR

 **morklesporkle:** thats cute!! couple goals hahaha

 **mj4eva:** mark maybe you should learn a thing from lucas about being a good boyfriend and let me do your makeup for once

 **chenline dion:** call me when he does so i can film it

 **chenline dion:** i need new content for my youtube channel

 

Renjun finished up with Lucas' left pinky nail and admired his handiwork. “I'll let this dry and we can do the top coat.”

Lucas didn't really know what a top coat was so he just shrugged. “Sure.”

Renjun checked the group chat and chuckled at the messages. He shifted a bit, pulling the hoodie down so that it fit more comfortably. Lucas noticed that he kept fiddling with the strings for some reason and sensed that he wanted to say something.

“Injun? You okay?”

Renjun chewed on his lip. “I just wanted to say thanks for letting me paint your nails.”

Lucas shuffled closer, pulling Renjun onto his lap. He smelled good, even though they had only been awake for about half an hour.

Lucas frowned. “Why wouldn't I let you paint them?”

“I don't know,” Renjun sighed, a hint of exasperation to his tone. “It’s just...I guess I get too worried about what other people say about us. About you.”

Lucas brushed the hair out of Renjun’s eyes. Ever since he became the head of the student council, Renjun had become more hesitant about spending time with him in public. He was always conscious about holding hands, hugging in the hallways, or being affectionate. People always had their eyes on Lucas, and while he was okay with it, he knew that there were times that Renjun didn’t feel comfortable.

He took Renjun’s hands in his own. “Renjun, I don’t care about what others say about me. So what if they comment on my nails? I’ll wave my hands in the air and tell the whole world that my cute boyfriend did them for me.”

Renjun giggled as Lucas pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose.

A quick glance to the clock told Lucas that it was almost time for Jaemin to come back from the gym, which meant that he should start getting breakfast ready with Chenle. But as Renjun pushed Lucas onto the floor and wrapped his arms around his neck, Lucas figured that breakfast could wait for once.

Lucas hugged Renjun to his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his breathing. The sensation of Renjun’s fingers rubbing circles on his nape was so incredibly calming, Lucas felt like falling asleep again. The sound of rushing water filtered through the walls. Jisung was probably taking a shower.

Time rolled by, as it did in its own silent way, and Lucas’ eyes fluttered to a close. He wished that he could just forget about his responsibilities for the day and just stay here, with Renjun. If only there were a button he could press to stop the world so that he could just bask in this moment forever.

“I love you.”

Lucas jolted awake, looking down at the boy in his arms. It was rare to hear Renjun say those words. In fact, Lucas could count the number of times he had said them on one hand. He knew Renjun loved him; it was evident from his actions. But to hear him say it out loud made Lucas’ heart blossom with a warmth that spread to the tips of his fingers and toes.

Lucas couldn’t help the giddy grin that worked its way onto his lips. He squeezed Renjun tightly, running his knuckles over his boyfriend’s pink cheek. He brushed their lips together and practically disintegrated at the happy sigh that Renjun let out.

When they broke apart, Renjun pursed his lips and Lucas had to bite back his laugh.

“Your left hand isn’t dry.”

“Nope.”

**Author's Note:**

> let me know which scene was your favourite!! leave me a comment or tell me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/takadactyl)


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